Piano on the Rocks International Festival IV will offer three themes in three concerts during the festival, being held Friday through Sunday, April 26 through 28, in Sedona.
The festival was created on the initiative of Duo MusicAleph, pianist Sandrine Erdely-Sayo and narrator Elizabeth Peña, who share a common passion for music, literature, poetry and Sedona. This festival brings renowned international artists and competition winners to the city of light.
Artistic director Erdely-Sayo and co-director Peña founded the festival in 2016 with one long weekend of concerts with three pianists. Since then, it has grown and, in addition, is able to bring two well-known composers, two singers and will welcome its second student guest artist.
The 2019 edition, like the past three, explores the interconnection between solo piano literature, storytelling and literature. Its mission is to create a fusion between music and literature through music and music through literature.
Festival IV explores three diverse themes: Invitation to the Dance, Sounds of Nature and All-Time Favorites through works for one or two pianos, songs and arias. The festival offers musical performances of the highest quality with the aim of building bridges across diverse cultures.
Repertoire this year includes compositions from the 18th through the 20th century that provide a wealth of variety. From Domenico Scarlatti to works by guest composers, the festival provides a cross section of compositions in various genres by well-known composers and those that our audiences will be hearing for the first time. The audience members will hear spectacular musicians from all over the world featuring a wide range of works by Alessandro Scarlatti, Ludwig von Beethoven, Johannes Brahms, Frédéric Chopin, Franz Liszt, Federico García Lorca, Claude Debussy, the Piano Sonata for two pianos by Francis Poulenc, the charming Cat Duet by Gioachino Rossini and other surprises.
This year, five performers known to Sedona audiences from previous festivals will return. They include Portuguese pianist Vasco Dantas, winner of several international competitions; American pianist Cynthia Raim, first-place victory in the Clara Haskil International Competition; French American pianist Erdely-Sayo, youngest recipient of the French Minister of Culture Award; narrator Peña, member of Duo MusicAleph; and soprano Barbara Di Toro. The festival also welcomes three new artists: Mezzo soprano Carla Dirlikov Canales, composers Anna Rubin and Andrew Rudin.
Canales has performed with opera companies and orchestras and has been recognized as an arts and culture advocate, including her work with the U.S. State Department, the President’s Committee on the Arts and Humanities and the Culture Summit Abu Dhabi.
Rubin has been active in electronic music and her work can be heard under the labels Seamus and Nema. In addition to two recent awards by the Maryland State Arts Council, she has been honored multiple times by both the Ohio Arts Council and the New York Foundation for the Arts. Rubin’s works are often inspired by the world of nature. Her work “For the Love of Bees,” which will be featured at Piano on the Rocks, celebrates the centuries-long interdependence of humans and bees.
Rudin has been an important presence in the contemporary scene and received the American Academy of Arts & Letters Music Award in May 2018. Piano on the Rocks will celebrate Andrew Rudin’s 80th birthday. The festival is thrilled to be able to bring performers of this caliber.
The festival will open Friday, April 26, at the Church of the Red Rocks under a beautiful sunset at 5 p.m. This concert is free. The subsequent two concerts will be held at the Sedona United Methodist Church on Saturday and Sunday, April 27 and 28, at 3 p.m. While these performances are also free, a $20 donation is appreciated.
Visit pianoontherocks.org for a complete program description and more information.
